Interesting Items - 7/2

Computers and Humans: Harvard economist Sendhil Mullainathan offers his perspective:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/03/upshot/a-25-question-twitter-quiz-to-predict-retweets.html

Nouriel Roubini on Orderly Sovereign Debt Restructuring

http://www.project-syndicate.org/print/nouriel-roubini-criticizes-recent-us-court-rulings-that-impede-orderly-restructuring-of-sovereign-debt

The Almighty Dollar and International Affairs

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/03/upshot/the-dollars-big-role-in-foreign-policy.html

BRICS Bank

Seeking Yield in EMs

Elite versus Average - US Universities

An interesting point from a recent NYTIMES article:

“America’s perceived international dominance of higher education, by contrast, rests largely on global rankings of top universities. According to a recent ranking by the London-based Times Higher Education, 18 of the world’s top 25 universities are American. Similarly, the Academic Ranking of World Universities, published annually by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, gives us 19 of 25.

But there is a problem with this way of thinking. When President Obama has said, “We have the best universities,” he has not meant: “Our universities are, on average, the best” — even though that’s what many people hear. He means, “Of the best universities, most are ours.” The distinction is important.”

Related post:

http://vivekjayakumar.blogspot.com/2014/04/fatal-flaws-in-us-higher-education.html

Interesting Items 6/26

Puerto Rico – America’s Own Tax Haven

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-06-26/puerto-rico-tax-haven-for-americas-super-rich

Google’s Mobile Division Chief – Interesting Profile

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-06-24/googles-sundar-pichai-king-of-android-master-of-mobile-profile

Enabling Global Access to the World’s Best Tea: Technology and fresh business techniques shake-up a staid industry:

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/06/26/as-indias-teas-gain-fans-seeking-a-faster-way-to-get-it-to-them/

Fascinating WSJ article – Bringing Jobs Back to U.S. Is Bruising Task – notes:

 “Crib maker Stanley Furniture Co. misjudged the willingness of Americans to pay more for domestically produced goods when cheaper imports are available, for example. Meanwhile, the husband-and-wife entrepreneurs who founded 20-year-old Chesapeake Bay Candle have struggled to find workers who can do basic math.”

Economics of Higher Education

Will Technology Finally Disrupt Higher Education

http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21605906-cost-crisis-changing-labour-markets-and-new-technology-will-turn-old-institution-its

Returns to Education – Cross-Country Variations

http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21605909-returns-investing-university-education-vary-enormously-wealth

US 2014 Q1 GDP

US 2014 Q1 Real GDP Growth Rate Estimates:

There is serious discrepancy between the advance estimate and the third estimate.

Source: BEA

Related:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-25/economy-in-u-s-shrank-in-first-quarter-by-most-in-five-years.html